


this race is a prophecy

by colorfullysarah



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: But I'm so excited for season two and can't wait so here we go, Gen, I have no idea where this is going, I'm sure there will be ships that pop up as we go, Not to mention saving the world, Post-Canon, Probably one of those stories that gets worse before it gets better, There's a lot of trauma that needs to be worked through, These poor characters :(, so I'll tag them as they happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-12-30 04:39:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfullysarah/pseuds/colorfullysarah
Summary: Ben Hargreeves was alive.What happens after, well... that's abitmore complicated.





	this race is a prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first Umbrella Academy fic. Ever since I finished the show on Netflix I have been _completely_ hooked. They all deserved better!!! 
> 
> I'll be honest, I don't have too much fleshed out for this story other than attempt to do a character study in in some way for each of these Hargreeves kids. Oh, and I guess have them save the world and stuff. 
> 
> This has not been beta read, so any mistakes are completely my own and will likely be fixed in the future as I notice them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! <3

Ben Hargreeves was alive.

“Ugh, get off me!” He wasn’t sure which of his siblings said it, could have been any of them considering they were all in a pile in the middle of the great room floor. An elbow dug into his side a moment later and he flinched in pain.

Pain.

 _Holy shit_.

Laughter bubbled up from his chest quickly and he threw his head back as his spilled out from his lips. He was alive. Actually _alive_. Of course, he knew it probably would happen when Five threw them back into the past but a larger part of himself hadn’t dared to hope.

“Uh, Ben? You okay there, bud?” This time he knew it was Klaus. Even though his brother’s voice wasn’t as deep, wasn’t what he’d grown used to over the last decade, he knew that _stupid_ voice anywhere.

Someone grabbed his shoulder and he laughed a little harder until he couldn’t breathe and he was gasping for air. It was too much all at once and he wasn’t exactly sure where to start, but he reached up and pressed his hand to his chest and sure enough there was—

 _Ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum_.

A heartbeat.

The sound of someone getting smacked cut through the swirling mess that was his mind and he looked over just in time to see Diego smack Klaus upside the head. “He’s alive after being dead for thirteen years, Klaus. What do you think?”

There was a beat where all of them froze, as if Diego’s words managed to solidify Ben to all of them. But they all seemed to come back to themselves in the same moment because he found himself with too many arms wrapped around him.

Then there was a soft groan somewhere near Luther.

And just as quickly as they’d all come together in joy, they pulled apart in apprehension and worry and honestly, a little bit of fear. Vanya shifted, and Ben watched as her face scrunched up before her eyes opened.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding when he noticed they were her usual warm brown.

"Wha...?" she started to say before her eyes widened as she took in their apperance. No doubt, a bit jarring since she'd been unconcious when they all decided to jump back in time. "Am I dead?" 

Klaus snorted and Ben shot him a look. His brother simply shrugged, unphased. "No," Five said. "We traveled back in time. I didn't have time to really do any proper calculations before we jumped, so I can only estimate that we're in either 2002 or 2003." 

Diego groaned. "I hated being thirteen the _first_ time and now I have to go through puberty again?" 

Despite the fact he was grateful being alive again, he couldn't help but agree with his brother. Sometimes, he did wondered what it'd be like to be alive again, before they jumped back. But he always envisioned himself as the same age as his siblings. Never seventeen. Or worse, thirteen. Luther sighed, and it was strange to see him without the bulk of his torso. Though, Ben would bet all his non-existant money on the fact Luther was relieved that they jumped so far back in time. 

The floor vibrated ever so gently beneath his hand the more Deigo and Klaus bickered about the pros and cons of being teenagers again. Neither of them noticed, yet, but as Ben looked at Vanya again, he saw Allison, Luther, and Five do the same as him. Allison moved first, her expression gentle as she hesitantly reached out to grab Vanya's hand. 

"It's going to be okay," Allison whispered. 

Vanya yanked her hand away and scrambled backwards. "Why did you bring _me_ back?" 

It seemed like none of them could speak, not because they didn't know the answer, but he supposed, because they were surprised Vanya didn't know it. "You're our sister," he finally said and Vanya's gaze snapped to his. "We love you and we weren't going to leave you behind to die," he continued without flinching at the intesity that swirled in Vanya's eyes. 

Something seemed to shift but Ben couldn't exactly place what that was. Maybe it was because, out of all of them, he'd actually died while the rest of them moved on with their lives. Not that he blamed them for it. What good would it have done for any of them to wallow and stay in the house that carried reminders of not only him, but of the horrible things Reginald put them through?

"But—" 

"Children!" An all too familiar voice barked above them. "Why are none of you doing your studies? There is no scheduled free time until dinner has concluded." 

For a moment, none of them moved. Then, as if they were actually thirteen years old again they scrambled to their feet and scattered. Ben knew they'd need a plan because he was pretty sure that whomever Five used to work for would come looking for them. And frankly, he wasn't about to listen to Reginald Hargreeves anymore either. Not like before. Not when he was a naive child who thought he could make the wretched man proud of him. 

Surprisingly, it was easy to fall back into old routines despite everything. And thankfully today didn't seem to involve any training, Ben wasn't sure if he would be up for Reginald's gaze locked onto his every move as he wrote in that stupid notebook of his. The very notebook that was the catalyst for everything that lead to the apocolypse. 

It was ironic really, that Reginald Hargreeves claimed he was preparing them to save the world from total destruction yet it was his decisions that ultimately led to it. Had he spent more time training Vanya instead of locking her up, if he hadn't made Allison use her powers against Vanya, if he hadn't written everything into a little book that wound up in the hands of the man who revealed his deception, then they wouldn't be here. 

 

—

 

Dinner was a quiet affair, as it always had been.

Ben could tell it was more difficult for his siblings to not act any different but soon enough they were free to roam about the house. His memories were hazy after all those years, but he knew it wasn't exactly normal for them to gravitate to Luther's room. Mostly, Ben remembered that he'd go to his room, read whatever book he was allowed to have at the time and try to ignore the rest of them. 

It wasn't until after he was dead that he wished he'd made more of an effort to spend time with them. 

Vanya managed to find the corner that put the most distance between her and the rest of them. Klaus fidgeted as he sat atop Luther's desk. Diego leaned against the closed door with his arms crossed. Five rolled his eyes at Allison and Luther sitting on the bed, a familiar sight for all of them really, and sat in the desk chair. Ben, well he gravitated toward Klaus and mirrored Diego's pose. 

No one spoke and this time it was Ben's turn to roll his eyes. "Let's start with the obvious - we need a plan. Preferably one that doesn't get us killed by the people Five worked for. I'd like to actually live past seventeen this time around." 

Luther flinched the most but Ben saw most of his siblings tense in one way or another. He bit back a sigh, they'd need to get over whatever guilt they carried about his death and their treatment of Vanya if they were going to actually change anything. Honestly, he hoped Vanya wouldn't hold a grudge about it too because then they would be totally screwed. 

"Well, it's a strong possibility that they already have some idea of what we're doing. Unlike before though, they can't track me so they can't pinpoint _when_ we are," Five explained with a small shrug. "I would suggest we don't make too many changes, if any, to the timeline." 

That was the wrong thing to say. 

"What was the point of coming back here if we can't make any changes?" Diego snapped. "If you think I'm going to let Dad lock Vanya up or get Ben killed on that stupid mission, then you better figure out a way to stop _me_ first." 

Five sighed and Vanya curled further into herself. Ben resisted the urge to drop his head into his hands. 

"Guys—" 

"We have to think about saving the whole world, Diego. Not just making our lives easier." 

"Guys—" 

"I'm not saying we ignore that! Just that we shouldn't have to suffer through a shit childhood _again_. I don't think that's too big of a demand!" 

"Most of our childhood didn't influence the apocalypse though! Just a few key moments that, yes, we're obviously going to change but we can't draw attention to ourselves or we're dead!" 

" _Guys!_ " 

That finally got them to stop. 

He shot a glare at both his brothers, and expectedly, they both glared right back at him. Klaus giggled from his perch on the desk before he said, "Twenty on Five to win this delightful little staring contest. Any takers?"  

Diego shot him an annoyed look and Ben simply closed his eyes in exasperation. "Aha!" Klaus cried triumphantly, which was quickly followed by the thunk of something hitting the wall behind him. "Hey! Not cool, Allison." 

"Be serious!" she hissed, eyes narrowed as she leaned back and crossed her arms. Ben got the feeling she wasn't really mad at Klaus, more afraid than anything and really, Ben couldn't blame her. She nearly died, at Vanya's own hand, and lost her connection to her power. Even in death, Ben always felt in the swirl of his bellybutton, that other dimension. A constant call that wouldn't leave him be no matter what state his soul was in. 

He shook his head, there wasn't time to dwell on those thoughts, on what had happened to his siblings before they all landed themselves this far back in time. Most of it wasn't really useful to them anymore. "I understand where you're coming from, Five," he started as he rubbed his temples before his hands dropped back down to his sides. "Diego has a point too though. There are some things I refuse to sit back and let happen again. But doesn't the very fact we have all our memories from the future change everything?" 

Five sighed and considering he was supposed to be fifty-eight years old, he sure knew how to pout like he was thirteen again. It would've been funny if the situation wasn't so grim. "I suppose it does," he grit out. 

"Look," Luther finally spoke up, and honestly Ben was surprise that it took this long. But when he glanced over and saw the sharp expression directed right at Luther on Allison's face he supposed he understood. He wasn't exactly anyone's favorite person right now. "It'll be impossible to do everything exactly the same way, Five. I don't know about you guys but I definitely don't remember a whole lot from when we were thirteen. Our teenage years are basically a blur aside from a few memories." 

Where was this rational thinking before he locked Vanya up? 

"I don't," Vanya final spoke, her voice so soft Ben almost didn't catch it. "But I mean, for me at least it was basically the same thing every day. Watch you guys train, do my studies, and practice the violin." 

There was a flare of anger at her words. He hadn't really seen it back then, how much Reginald's forced isolation and separation had hurt Vanya. They had all been kids, too wrapped up in their own traumas Reginald inflicted on them back then. Though, he looked back at Luther and wondered if Reginald ever pushed him past his breaking point during training like he had with Ben, or Diego, or Klaus.

"All I remember about being thirteen was that luxurious resort level mausoleum in the basement that Dad locked me in for three days," Klaus singsonged. "I doubt very much that those ghosts will appreciate my detailed description of this one time a _very_ muscular man with _incredibly_ long and gorgeous eyelashes went down—" 

"What mausoleum?" 

The room became utterly silent and still at Vanya's question. It was one that Ben had already known the answer too. Had seen first hand how even at thirty years old, Klaus struggled with nightmares from that wretched place. He couldn't ever get Klaus to tell anyone else about it, instead he watched his brother poison himself with drugs and alcohol in a piss poor attempt to forget it all. 

Klaus visibly hesitated, and Ben wondered if his brother assumed like with most things he said, they'd all brush it off as nonsense. "Dad locked me in the mausoleum, which by the way I didn't even know we had one until he marched me down these _delightfully_ dark stairs, and locked me inside so I could learn to stop being afraid of my power."  He shrugged, as if it was no big deal. 

But it was. To all of them, though it seemed to affect Vanya the most. "He locked you up somewhere too?" 

Ben could see it click in Luther's head, why Klaus yelled about how pointless it would be locking Vanya up, that it would be better to help her than hide her away like she was some evil villain. He couldn't help but wonder if with each story Luther heard from each of them, if it changed his outlook on Reginald. Frankly, Ben wouldn't be able to stomach the sight of Luther being Reginald's whipping boy who couldn't see reason. 

"He did," Klaus said softly. 

Allison looked between Vanya and Klaus quickly, eyes filled with tears. "Oh my god," she whispered, voice wavering as she took a deep breath. "He's such a monster." 

Klaus laughed, only this time, it was hallow and Ben hated it immediately. "He's nothing compared to the monsters down there. Ben was Casper the Friendly Neighborhood ghost compared to those things."

"See, Five?" Diego growled. "If you think I'm going to let that man put Klaus down there again or lock Vanya away you're in for a world of shock." 

"Aw, Diego I didn't know you cared!" Klaus said lightly as he kicked his feet back and forth, his heels thudding against the desk in a staccato rhythm that was slowly driving Ben mad.

There was a brief moment where Diego's expression fell before his brother quickly masked it with a sneer. "I just don't want to hear you whine about it later." 

God. It was a miracle any of them made it to thirty. Or fifty-eight in Five's case. 

"Enough," Allison said sharply. "Why don't we just help Vanya practice her powers while Dad is asleep or away on one of his business meetings? It's not like you're a kid," she continued, her gaze shifting towards Vanya again. "You have more control over your emotions now than you did back then. He won't train you but... we can." 

Vanya didn't say anything back. Just dropped her gaze to the worn floorboards beneath them. Ben bit back his frustrated sigh. Allison's expression twisted into something mixed between hurt and understanding before she looked over at Five. "I think we can all agree that Vanya learning more about and controlling her powers is something that needs to be changed." 

Five's brow furrowed and he started to mutter under his breath. No doubt doing whatever crazy calculations about probability he learned over the years. Klaus yawned beside him before he dropped his head on Ben's shoulder. "It's weird that I can actually touch you now. I got used to your fantastic commentary about my life at all hours of the day," his brother mumbled as they all waited impatiently for Five to just spit it out already. 

"It's weird for me too," he admitted quietly. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to being alive again, honestly." 

There was a pause. Then, "Nah, you will. Just think, you can finally annoy more people than just me, thank god." 

Ben elbowed him in the side lightly and Klaus flinched dramatically, a hand flying up to clutch his side as he moaned pitifully. Everyone just rolled their eyes and Ben swore he saw the hint of a smile tug at the corners of Vanya's lips. Maybe they'll manage to save the world this time. But honestly, Ben was worried it could go either way. There were a lot of years between now and 2019. 

"According to my calculations, the probability of the apocolypse happening _does_ dramatically decrease if Vanya learns some kind of control, but that isn't the _only_ thing that needs to change in order to save everyone," Five said at long last. 

But then, he didn't elaborate and Ben had somehow forgotten how difficult his siblings could be, especially when they were all together. This is not something he missed that was for sure. 

"What else do we need to do?" Luther asked, back to business like usual. 

Five continued to hesitate and a sinking feeling grew in his stomach with each second that passed. 

"Kill Dad." 


End file.
